Relocation, lacrosse, and buffalo

Three recent Native documentaries of note:

Moses Brings Plenty: Representing for 'Urban Rez'Urban Rez is a documentary about the relocation program that President Eisenhower put into place in the early 1950s. Urban Rez helped me to understand and educate me about the relocation process.The Medicine Game Premieres September 24 on Public TelevisionTucked away in central New York State is the Onondaga Nation, a sovereign Native American community known to produce some of the top lacrosse players in the world. ... Enter the Thompson brothers–Jerome "Hiana" and Jeremy–who are driven by a single goal of beating the odds against them and playing lacrosse for national powerhouse Syracuse University.Scot who saved American buffalo subject of film“He realised that if you eliminated the buffalo, you eliminated the Native Americans, and that was the mindset of the American government. Scotty could not understand this because he had tremendous respect for the Native Americans.”Below:  Moses Brings Plenty.

Silverheels started with lacrosse

A Sidekick’s Little-Known Leading Role in Lacrosse

By Jeff Z. KleinAt Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, Ontario, the home of the Six Nations Chiefs, box lacrosse champions of eastern Canada, a photograph from 1931 hangs on the wall. Gazing ahead resolutely and gripping a lacrosse stick is a handsome dark-haired Mohawk man with a bandage over his right brow.

That man was Harry J. Smith, but many years later, he became known to the world as Jay Silverheels, the actor who played Tonto in the “The Lone Ranger,” a television series that ran from 1949 to 1957. This summer, there is renewed interest in Silverheels, after Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the big-budget film “Lone Ranger.”

How Smith, a lacrosse star of the Six Nations of the Grand River, became Silverheels, an actor who despised his own portrayal of an Indian, is a story that spans a continent and an era. But few realize that what put him on the path to Hollywood was the invention of indoor lacrosse—box lacrosse, as it is called in Canada and western New York.

“He would never have been discovered, never have become Tonto, if he hadn’t been in L.A. to play box lacrosse,” said the historian Larry Power, compiler of the Internet archive Bible of Lacrosse.Comment:  For more on Tonto, see New Tonto as Racist as Old Tonto and Best of the Lone Ranger Reviewed.

Iroquois Nationals defeat USA

U19 World Championships: Iroquois' Upset of USA Illustrates Changing Face of International Lacrosse

By Jason DonvilleThe number of registered lacrosse players in the USA stands at close to 265,000, which is roughly four times the size of the entire population of the Iroquois nation. Although by far the smallest nation at the U19 World Lacrosse Championships, it is by far the most popular. This is not simply because they come from a small country, or that it took the players 37 hours to get to Finland or because they have the most amazing stick skills of any team in the tournament. No, it’s because when they are “on,” no team or nation can showcase the sport of lacrosse like the Iroquois can.

And Tuesday they were on, as Team Iroquois stunned Team USA with a 15-13 victory on Day 5 at the World U19 Lacrosse Championships in Finland.

Iroquois’ victory and Canada’s win against the USA earlier this week has illustrated the changing face of international lacrosse, in which USA’s dominance was up until recently a forgone conclusion. While Canada and much of Iroquois have long been adept at box lacrosse, it was only in the 1980s that each nation began developing its field programs.

The Canadians in particular were quick to adapt their offensive game to meet the standards of world lacrosse but they lagged behind in the development of defensive midfielders, defensemen and goalies. Over time, players like Virginia’s Chris Sanderson, Georgetown’s Brodie Merrill and Denver face-off specialist Geoff Snider emerged as top-level players in positions other than attack. Fortunately for Canadian lacrosse, they became teachers and/or coaches of the field game.

However, Canada and Iroquois have also benefited from having both a rich box lacrosse history and a close proximity to the U.S., Northeast.What the victory means to Indians:

Iroquois Nationals Defeat United States–Win More than Respect

By Chase Iron EyesWhen the Iroquois Nationals defeat the USA, every little slight that originates from the USA’s mere presence in our homelands is made a little more bearable. We all walk a little taller. Every time we have been refused prompt service at a restaurant, every time we’ve endured drunk white people wearing hipster “war bonnets” doing the tomahawk chop, every time one of our kids is called a “dirty little Indian,” every time Americans overrun or deny access to our sacred sites with development or attempt to turn them into their vacation or recreation destinations, every time one of our kids is pressured by the education and media institutions to question their own indigenous dignity, the time our hearts sank when the British would not honor Haudenosaunee passports and prevented the Iroquois Nationals from world play, every time the Church does not own up to its past or a state outlaws lawsuits against past abuses, every time- every single time we endure, it is difficult--but we go on. When our people win, we can just live for a little bit, rejoice in the moment, let our defenses relax, and lift our hands in victory.

When we win in athletics and other arenas our hearts are lifted. Our spirits rise with an indelible pride whose source is our dignity as Mother Earth’s children. Go to any high school basketball game in any small town in any gym where an Indian team is playing. See the crowds come in great numbers, sometimes on borrowed gas money and ride-hitching, to a regular season game: adults, children, elders, and supporters. See those already frenzied crowds double in size and draw legitimate heart-felt support from other reservations inhabited by people who were once traditional enemies come to cheer each other on. It is no different with the Iroquois Nationals. We would see thousands of Indigenous people descend upon any city in the United States or Canada if the Iroquois Nationals competed in international competition on Turtle Island. That’s how we roll.Comment:  The Nationals lost to the USA in a rematch and ended up winning the bronze medal.

For more on Indians and lacrosse, see Onondagas Support Crooked Arrows and Swarm Teaches Lacrosse to Native Kids.

Onondagas support Crooked Arrows

The lacrosse movie Crooked Arrows debuts this week. Here's some background on how it got made:

Crooked Arrows: The Onondaga Nation goes Hollywood

By Sarah MosesPowless, who is the son of an Onondaga Nation chief, said he read the script and was reluctant to get involved.

“I was putting my name on the line,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that the boys I brought would be proud to be apart of this project. I wanted to make sure I would be proud to have my name on it, too.”

Powless said the original script had numerous stereotypes about Native Americans because the writers wanted the script to relate to all Native Americans and not one specific nation or tribe. Some of the changes that needed to be made included the humor towards the Native American elders.

It is a tradition for Onondaga and other Haudenosaunee youth to respect their elders, but the jokes in the original script were culturally insensitive to that tradition, Powless said.

After suggesting several script revisions, Powless agreed to work on the film and 13 local Native American lacrosse players representing the Onondaga, Mohawk and Tuscarora nations set off to make the movie in Boston.And:After filming concluded, Powless brought a raw cut of the movie to the leadership at the Onondaga nation. The Onondaga Council of Chiefs liked the changes to the film, but wanted one more change before they could back the movie.

Powless declined to say what the chiefs’ last concern was, but the producers made the change. The Onondagas because a prime financial supporter of the movie.

“A lot of the leaders on the council are former lacrosse players,” said Sid Hill, the Tadodaho “We do have a rich history of lacrosse and a lot support for lacrosse. We put our faith in Neal’s hands.”Comment:  I wonder why the Onandagas insisted on authenticity in Crooked Arrows. Don't they understand it's just a movie?

Oh, yeah...unlike some people, they know that movies shape people's perceptions. Duh.

Not only was authenticity important for aesthetic reasons, but it convinced the Onandagas to support the film financially. That's a powerful reason to make your Native films authentic.

Moral of the story: It pays not to offend Indians--literally.

For more on the subject, see Crooked Arrows Announces Lacrosse Team and Birmingham to Play Routh's Father.

Below:  "Surrounded by Crooked Arrows promotional material in his office at the Native Student House at Syracuse University Neal Powless said he was first hired as a consultant for the film but wound up being a co-producer as well." (Mike Greenlar/The Post-Standard)

Swarm teaches lacrosse to Native kids

Swarm connects with Native American roots

The Swarm is halfway into a two-year initiative at the Prairie Island reservation to help kids re-connect with the game their ancestors played.

By Michael RandPromotions are the lifeblood of pre-game and halftime entertainment at sporting events. Objectives can vary greatly--from quick laughs to an attempt at education--but few would seem to have the depth as the one being offered this weekend at Xcel Energy Center.

The Minnesota Swarm pro lacrosse team has its home opener at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Buffalo Bandits. In conjunction with that, the Swarm is promoting Native American Heritage Night. Native American kids will play lacrosse pre-game. Local tribal communities will be honored. Halftime will feature a traditional lacrosse match--the version originally played hundreds of years ago by Native Americans.

The bigger picture, however, extends beyond just one night. The Swarm is halfway into a two-year initiative at the Prairie Island reservation to help kids re-connect with the game their ancestors played. Swarm representatives travel southeast of the Twin Cities multiple times a week to give instruction and lead games.

"And it's not just lacrosse," said Swarm co-owner Andy Arlotta. "We've incorporated all kinds of things into the program. We're dealing with accountability, getting good grades and goal-setting sessions. The kids are really grasping hold of it."
Comment:  The article didn't quite note the irony of non-Natives teaching Natives how to play lacrosse. So here's the irony.

For more on Indians and lacrosse, see Indians in A Warrior's Heart and Crooked Arrows Announces Lacrosse Team.

Indians in A Warrior's Heart

A snarky look at a recent movie that co-stars Adam Beach:

The First High School Movie for Rich Bullies

By Soren BowieThe Plot

A Warrior's Heart revolves around two private-schooled, white-toothed teens named Conor and Brooklyn as they fall in love over completely surmountable odds. Together, they build a steamy and muscular love triangle between each other and their shared passion for lacrosse. Everything is plaid skirts and money until, look out! Conor's father dies while being a hero in Iraq. Unable to deal with his emotions, Conor acts out by breaking a trophy case and then has to go to a wilderness camp as punishment where he plays wilderness lacrosse with wilderness Indians. Through his time in camp he learns that the exorbitantly wealthy and Native Americans are not so different after all, they are both, for instance, minorities with little-to-no body hair. The story is bold and unapologetic in its exploration of the American teen, acknowledging that every boy has to learn to quell his rage while slowly and painfully learning what it means to be a man, and that every girl really likes boys who play sports.

The Cultural Importance

In order to overcome the sadness of losing his father, Conor has to explore his roots. Well, some roots. Any roots will do, really. Conor is whisked away by his father's Native American war buddy to a camp where he can vent his anger by hitting stuff with tools or kicking over barn frames. Conor is mad but the Indians are wise and soon he's learning to cope with loss through the healing power of wilderness lacrosse. And so lacrosse becomes a great metaphor for the film as a whole. Just as the Native Americans graciously handed the sport to white, East Coast prep schools, their very presence in this film serves only to pass on the minority spotlight to a new and deserving group: The one percent.Comment:  For more on the subject, see A Warrior's Heart to Be Released.

Below:  The white, blond cast of A Warrior's Heart.

A Warrior's Heart to be released

"Twilight" Stars Kellan Lutz And Ashley Greene Reteam To Bring Lacrosse And Love to The Big Screen For "A Warrior's Heart"

In their first lead roles Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene share star-making chemistry in the heartfelt drama "A Warrior's Heart."Xenon Pictures and California Pictures in association with Family Productions and Camelot Entertainment Group have announced plans to release the highly anticipated "A Warrior's Heart." Written by Martin Dugard and directed by Mike Sears, "A Warrior's Heart" stars Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene ("The Twilight Saga"), Chord Overstreet ("Glee"), Adam Beach ("Cowboys and Aliens"), and Gabrielle Anwar (TV's "Burn Notice").

Screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival to enthusiastic cheers, "A Warrior's Heart" has inked a deal for a theatrical, VOD and DVD release.

Not only have early screenings of "A Warrior's Heart" been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews but the film has also been highly praised by lacrosse fans who are converging on the Major League Lacrosse Championship in Annapolis, Maryland on August 27th.

Producers Jamie Thompson, Steven Istock and Marc Spizzirri describe the movie as "a heartfelt family friendly teen love story."

In shock and denial over his Marine father's death in battle, high-school lacrosse star Conor Sullivan starts acting out in self-destructive ways until he's kicked off the team and sent to a wilderness lacrosse camp run by his dad's Native American combat buddy (Adam Beach). With support from his girlfriend Brooklyn (Ashley Greene) Conor embraces the game's Native American roots and open his eyes to the true meaning of sportsmanship and life.Comment:  I reported on this film back in January 2009 when it was just called Warrior. The new title is about as bland as the old one.

The whole "athlete as warrior" thing is such a cliché. I'd be stunned if a movie compared an athlete to a poet, dancer, surgeon, chess player, or robot.

What about Crooked Arrows?

I thought Crooked Arrows was the lacrosse movie. Now we have two lacrosse movies. Will audiences sit still for that much lacrosse?

Like Crooked Arrows, A Warrior's Heart uses a non-Native protagonist to introduce a Native sport. Because we can't have a mainstream movie centered on Natives, right?

Movies where sports are a metaphor for life--where "bad" characters are redeemed by teamwork and camaraderie--are a dime a dozen, of course. Sometimes these movies are good despite the tired, clichéd premise. We'll see whether A Warrior's Heart is a good one or not.

For more on lacrosse movies, see Crooked Arrows Announces Lacrosse Team and Birmingham to Play Routh's Father.

Crooked Arrows announces lacrosse team

Crooked Arrows Casts its Native American Team (Pictures and Video)The game of lacrosse was, of course, invented by the Six Nations tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy: the Oneida, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. Crooked Arrows will be the first film ever to showcase the game invented by these tribes, now widely played by male and female athletes of all backgrounds all over the U.S.

Today, we’re very happy to showcase and announce the talented Native American lacrosse athletes that will be featured in Crooked Arrows as our hero team.The players that will make up the Crooked Arrows team are, as pictured (L-R). Back Row: Aaron Printup, Tuscarora; Shaye Thomas, Onondaga; Alex Cook, Mohawk; James Bissell, Tuscarora; Emmitt Printup, Tuscarora; Ty Thompson, Mohawk. Front Row: Tyler Hill, Mohawk; Derek Bennett, Onondaga; Orris Edwards, Onondaga; Miles Thompson, Onondaga; Lyle Thompson, Onondaga; Cree Cathers, Onondaga; Michael Hudson, Mohawk.

Crooked Arrows Co-Producer Ernie Stevens III of the Oneida tribe will be coordinating the movie’s Native American community marketing, publicity and philanthropy outreach programs. Here’s a video from Stevens himself who speaks about the Native Americas aspect of the film, featuring some lacrosse action from our very own Crooked Arrows team:

Plus a video of the players trying out:



Comment:  It's funny how they didn't have much trouble filling every role with a Native--except the lead role.

For more on the subject, see Birmingham to Play Routh's Father and Adam Beach as Superman?

US hypocrisy over lacrosse players

White House Celebrates Lacrosse’s American Indian Origins

By Rob CapricciosoRepresentatives of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team had no trouble getting through the White House gates for a sunny July 11 event hosted by the Office of First Lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn, which brought Native and non-Native children together for a morning of lacrosse learning and cultural sharing.

That cordial reception was a 180-degree turn from the tension-filled summer of 2010 that saw the players and other American Indians battle a U.S. State Department that was slow to recognize the validity of their tribal passports for traveling abroad. The White House didn’t intervene because few folks there wanted to publicly defend the authenticity of tribal citizenship cards and their use as safe and secure identification tools.

The problem for the team centered on the fact that tribal governments are sovereign entities, but the U.S. rarely goes out of its way to treat them as such. Many U.S. officials say they support tribal sovereignty, but practical applications of the ideal tend to cause problems for Indians. Tribal citizens have long wondered why membership documentation issued by tribal governments is not recognized by federal players as being equal to other forms of identification, such as state-issued driver’s licenses, or standard U.S. passports for international travel.And:American officials also made clear that the Indians should want all the benefits of a U.S. passport: “Again, we and the British, I think, have the same view that ultimately, it’s important for these people and others to have travel documents that are internationally recognized,” former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said during a press briefing last July. “And from our standpoint, for those who qualify for U.S. passports, as we’ve said all along, the best way for them to ensure the ability to travel freely around the world is to have a U.S. passport.”

But what Crowley claims is the “best way” isn’t the best way for many Indians, especially for Indians who believe in their sovereignty. Many tribal leaders and citizens were disappointed by the Obama administration’s handling of the situation because they said it reeked of hypocrisy. After all, many administration members have said that they support true government-to-government relations with tribes, but when a real-life scenario presented itself that would have allowed them to show strong and lasting support, they offered a one-time waiver. They would not take a stand for the permanent relevancy of tribal sovereignty and citizenship.

The lacrosse players, instead of being able to focus on scoring a win, instead were forced to face a major dilemma of self-identity. Like most tribal citizens, the Indian players retained their own tribal identification documents, and they wanted to use those credentials for the international travel. Their reasoning made sense: They were an Indian team representing their unique Iroquois sovereign nations, so why shouldn’t they travel via their own passports? Officials in the U.S., England, and Canada didn’t take kindly to the questions, and British officials ultimately decided that U.S. or Canadian passports were the only form of identification that would be accepted. Tribal documentation simply did not cut it.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Iroquois Team to Use Tribal Passports and Iroquois Team Bows Out of Tournament.

Birmingham to play Routh's father

Twilight’s Gil Birmingham Joins Crooked Arrows CastGil Birmingham, known for his role as Billy Black in the Twilight Saga films, will join Superman Returns Brandon Routh in the film Crooked Arrows, a story about a Native American high School Lacrosse team forced to compete against a better equipped and trained local prep school team. Birmingham will play the tribal chairman and father of the entrepreneurial son played by Routh.

The film centers on Joe Logan (Routh), a 30-year-old mixed-blood Native American, who wants to modernize the reservation but must first prove himself to his father (Birmingham), a traditionalist tribal chairman, by rediscovering his spirit. Joe postpones his casino-building dreams to coach the fledging Native American lacrosse team against the prep school in which he used to star. As a result, Joe inspires the Native American youth and teaches them the true meaning of tribal pride. The sport of Lacrosse dates back to the northeastern Native American tribes in the 1100s.

“The intense relationship between the father and son and the conflict between modern ways and tradition is what appealed to me most in Crooked Arrows,” said Birmingham, who is part Comanche. “Wrapped in a movie about a sports competition is the human element of a man and his son trying to find their way in a sometimes confusing world.”Comment:  How old is Birmingham...his mid-40s? And Routh is 32? The math on that doesn't quite add up.

Since Routh's character is "mixed blood," I wonder who will play his white mother.

Is Birmingham going to cut his long locks for the role? Most tribal chairmen have short hair just like politicians and business executives everywhere. Voters want practicality, not flamboyance, and short hair signals that.

For more on the subject, see Crooked Arrows Seeks "Authenticity" and "Superman" Star to Play Native Coach.

Lyons explains lacrosse at White House

Lacrosse celebrates its Native American origins during visit to the White House

By Mike WiseAbout 80 children sat in the oppressive heat on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday morning. White, black, American Indian children—a rainbow coalition itching for the adults to stop talking so they could grab their sticks and play their sport in the president’s back yard.

And then Jim Brown’s former teammate came to the microphone, a resplendent ponytail poking out of the back of his hat.

“The game you have now in your hands belongs to our nation,” Oren Lyons said, raising his lacrosse stick, admiring the wood workmanship.

The stick, he said, represents the trees. The webbing, made of deer gut, “goes to the honor of our four-legged friends.”

“For us, lacrosse is a spiritual game—a connection to everything around us, not just a sport,” Lyons said. “We forget that and we miss what the game can still be.”

The Onondaga Nation faithkeeper is 81 now, one of the most respected of elders in the Native American community. Few who attended the first lady’s Let’s Move! Indian Country initiative knew of Lyon’s glorious athletic past. He was a college all-American who played goalie on Syracuse’s unbeaten 1957 national championship team featuring a guy who would become the NFL’s most indestructible running back, Brown, and whom Lyons still considers a close friend.Comment:  For more on lacrosse, see Crooked Arrows Seeks "Authenticity" and Lacrosse Ball in Body of Proof.

Crooked Arrows seeks "authenticity"

'Crooked Arrows' team casting lacrosse players in tri-state area

By Anthony Sulla-HeffingerThe film, titled "Crooked Arrows," will tell the fictional tale of a Native American prep school team and its unlikely rise to the league’s championship game.

Casting for the film has been a success so far--Ellis and the film’s team recently visited Baltimore--and they will be coming to the tri-state area this weekend to pick the best of the best in terms of lacrosse athletes.These people really seem concerned about authenticity:“When you need to turn an actor into an athlete, it is a little more difficult but the more athletic they are the easier it is. In both cases, our goal is to make the product look credible and authentic,” Ellis says.

Ellis and the team behind "Crooked Arrows" will face their biggest challenge in finding Native American lacrosse players to fill the roles on the “hero team.”

“The hero team is all in itself will be a difficult task both act and play lacrosse. We had a similar issue with 'Miracle.' We asked ourselves, do we find skaters and teach them how to act or vice versa. Here we want the Native American team to be able to do both,” Ellis says.

In addition to casting, authenticity is a must, especially when you are going to be the pioneer, as "Crooked Arrows" will be.Comment:  We can tell how concerned about authenticity they are by their hiring of Brandon Routh to play a tribal chairman's son. Similarly, all the Native lacrosse players must have at least one Cherokee princess in their background. A good tan is also acceptable.

For more on casting decisions, see Wannabes Audition for Native Roles and Routh Is a Native?!

"Superman" star to play Native coach

Another day, another travesty of a casting decision:

Routh takes aim at 'Crooked Arrows'

'Superman Returns' star set for sports pic

By Jeff Sneider"Superman Returns" star Brandon Routh is set to topline "Crooked Arrows," an underdog sports pic set in the world of lacrosse.

Steve Rash ("Can't Buy Me Love") is directing from a script by Todd Baird.

Story follows a rag-tag Native American high school lacrosse team that is forced to join the local prep school league, which is comprised of better trained and equipped rivals.

Routh will play the tribal chairman's part-Native American entrepreneurial son who is tasked with coaching the reservation's motley lacrosse team in the hopes that he'll reconnect with his fellow tribe members. An unlikely and uplifting journey to the prep league's championship game ensues.

J. Todd Harris and Mitchell Peck are producing, while Sports Studio ("Miracle") will co-produce with a focus on authentic athletic casting, outfitting and choreography. Reebok is the film's first athletic corporate sponsor. Production is scheduled to start this July in the Boston area.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Routh attended the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in Baltimore, where "Crooked Arrows" held an open casting call. "I was moved by the script," said Routh, whose ancestors hail from the Kickapoo Tribe. "While it has all the ingredients of a classic underdog sports movie, it actually appealed to me on a deeper level. I think the father-son and brother-sister dynamics of the story are compelling, as is [the] more spiritual Native American aspect."

"We couldn't be happier," boasted Harris. "Brandon is a highly recognizable and well-liked actor around the world, and he brings authenticity to the athletic and Native aspects of the film."Wikipedia confirms that Routh is mostly non-Native:

Brandon RouthRouth, the third of four children, was born in Norwalk, Iowa, on October 9, 1979, the son of Catherine (née Lear), a teacher, and Ronald Ray Routh, a carpenter. Routh's family, which is Methodist, has German, French, English, and Native American ancestry.Comment:  How bad is this casting choice? Routh doesn't look much like a Native. He has no known connection to Kickapoo Indians other than a few drops of blood. Neither Iowa nor the Kickapoo Tribe is near the center of Native lacrosse.

Moreover, Routh's main claim to fame is starring in Superman Returns, which is widely considered a disappointment or a failure. So how does a little-known "star" with one flop to his name get a major Native role? It certainly can't be because of his box-office potentially, which is effectively nil.

What's going on here is sadly obvious. Hollywood's cowardly executives have cast someone with a hint of Native ancestry (see Johnny Depp and Taylor Lautner) so they can claim "authenticity." They think a white actor without significant accomplishments is more marketable than a talented Native actor. They've made the character "part Native" in a feeble attempt to inoculate themselves from criticism.

Of course, a tribal chairman's son is likely to be a member of the tribe regardless of his "blood." He's likely to live with the tribe and participate in its culture. All of which leaves the non-Native Routh out. The guy has zero "authenticity" as a Native except in a racist's mind.

Haynes gets criticized

I believe Rene Haynes is the movie's casting director. She's done good things in the past. I think she hired Native actors for New Moon after the Twilight fiasco. But she may have been responsible for hiring Julia Jones, Boo Boo Stewart, and Tinsel Korey also.

I gather she's taking some heat for this casting decision. If so, good. Anyone who thinks Routh is "authentic" shouldn't be involved in casting.

For more on the movie, see Financing Crooked Arrows. For more on casting decisions, see Tavare on Hollywood Indians and Depp's "Dilemma" Over Playing Mexican.

Lacrosse ball in Body of Proof

In Tuesday's episode of Body of Proof, titled Buried Secrets (airdate: 5/10/11), the medical examiner exhumes the body of a murder victim: a female lacrosse player. The detectives ask the young woman's professor about a ball they found in her coffin. This professor, who looks Caucasian, has a record of coming on to his students.

The following dialogue ensues:BAKER:  You recognize this?

BAKER:  We did a little research. It's a 19th-century lacrosse ball made of hair and deerskin. Used by the, uh, Iroquois, apparently.

MORRIS:  And what do Sarah Kaiser, Anne Tanaka, and Lizzy Adler have in common? It's your Native American history class in which that lacrosse ball was a well-known visual aid.The professor admits he put the ball in the victim's coffin as a token of their friendship. He's not guilty of anything worse than bad judgment.

Kudos to the writers for going the extra mile. Or at least an extra foot. In a story involving lacrosse, they actually mentioned its Native origin.

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.

Iroquois team to use tribal passports

Iroquois Lax Team Cleared to Travel with Haudenosaunee PassportsThe Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team’s website confirmed that the unlike last year’s unnecessary fiasco, the team will be able to travel to the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague, held on May 21-28, using their own Haudenosaunee passports.

The Nationals were unable to attend last year’s World Lacrosse Championships in England on July 15 because both the British Consulate, as well as the U.S. State Department, refused to recognize the team’s passports. This year, Czech immigration officials promised they would pose no obstacles to the team entering the Czech Republic, regardless if they use their Haudenosaunee passports.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Developing Tribal Passports and Iroquois Team Bows Out of Tournament.

Iroquois and Hawaiians play lacrosse

Hawaii Lacrosse 20th Anniversary Tournament

By Jill ZangerThe Hawaii Lacrosse 20th Anniversary Invitational Tournament presented by Nike will take place at Kapiolani Park, in Waikiki, Friday, October 29 through Sunday, October 31. This is the first year Nike Lacrosse is sponsoring the event.

Highlighting the tournament this year is the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team, whose members will come together in competition for the first time since being unable to compete in the FIL Lacrosse World Championship last June in Manchester, England, due to visa complications. The Iroquois Nationals will also debut their new game day jersey, featuring the Nike N7 logo. Nike has partnered with the Iroquois Nationals since 2006.Lacrosse cultural

Iroquois and Hawaiians share views on sovereignty

By Cindy LuisA common heart. A common spirit. A common cause.

Yesterday's clinic here by the Iroquois National Lacrosse team was much more than a cultural exchange. For the students at Ke Kula Kaiapuni 'o Anuenue, the Hawaiian immersion school in Palolo Valley, it was an educational experience that linked the Hawaiian sovereignty issue to the recognition problems encountered by the visitors last summer.And:England's loss was Hawaii's gain. Since the team had unused plane tickets, the Iroquois Nationals opted to compete in this weekend's 20th Hawaii Invitational Tournament at Kapiolani Park as well as do a clinic for native Hawaiian youth.

"I am proud that they took a stand," 10th-grader Lopaka Keli'ikoa-Kapolo'i said. "That's what we should do as Hawaiians—stand for our culture, stand for our rights. It was good to see that they have gained recognition."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Iroquois Team Bows Out of Tournament and Iroquois Team Fights for Sovereignty.

Below:  "Before participating in the 20th anniversary of the Hawai'i Lacrosse Invitational Tournament, members of the Iroquois Nationals team instruct native Hawaiian students from Kula Kaiapuni o Anuenue in a lacrosse clinic. To start the clinic, the general manager of the Iroquois Nationals team, Ansley Jemison, gathers everyone together for a team cheer with their sticks raised."

Did the Norse invent lacrosse?

On the heels of the Iroquois passport controversy comes this potential shocker:

Is Lacrosse Proof The Norse Reached The Great Lakes?

By George and Darril FostyIt was the Norwegian historian Ebbe Hertzberg, in his 1904 article entitled: "Old Ball Games of the Norsemen" (‘Nordboernes Gamle Boldspil’), who first pointed to the similarities between the ancient Norse stick and ball game of knattleikr and lacrosse.

Hertzberg argued both games were in fact the same and were evidence of early Norse contact with the Americas. Hertzberg’s arguments concluded the game of knattleikr was given from the Norse to the tribes of the Americas. Perhaps, Hertzberg would have been more correct if he had concluded the opposite; that knattleikr was a game adopted by the Norse from their contact with the Indians. Archaeological evidence suggests the game of lacrosse dates back to at least c.800 AD. This is well before the first Norse expeditions to America. Regardless, Hertzberg’s arguments of similarities have continued to stand the test of time and to conclusively link the two games.Comment:  For more on lacrosse, see Iroquois Team Bows Out of Tournament and Iroquois Team Fights for Sovereignty.

Some Indians oppose Iroquois stance

Iroquois passport dispute raises sovereignty issue

By Felicia FonsecaThe National Congress of American Indian, based in Washington, D.C., has advocated on behalf of the lacrosse team, urging British officials to allow the members entry into England on their Iroquois-issued passports.

But some say the team's adamant position has gone too far.

Michael Smith, a Navajo living on the Southwestern reservation, said it's important to note that the Iroquois live in the U.S. on land he and his father fought to protect as Marines.

The Iroquois land isn't recognized globally as a country, so the team's efforts have been almost futile, he said.

"You're flying overseas," he said. "Get your U.S. passport and go kick some butt."

Luanna Bear, a member of the Tulsa Creek Indian Community, part of the larger Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma, said anyone who travels abroad should have the proper documents.

"A lot of tribes don't want to lose their identity, so that's what they're trying to keep," said Bear, 48. "But I believe you have to follow all laws."Comment:  Actually, some Iroquois live in Canada or on reservations that straddle the US/Canada border. It's either too simplistic or flatly wrong to say they're all US citizens.

Smith has kind of missed the point of tribal sovereignty. The Iroquois team was saying they should be recognized as a country or the equivalent. They were protesting precisely for that principle.

They deemed the principle more important than playing games. Judging by the responses I saw on Facebook, most Indians were cheering them on. As I said, I think they'll receive some accolades to make up for missing the lacrosse championship.

Valerie Taliman, who was helping the team, says the media published more than 2,000 stories on the subject. That's a huge amount of publicity for the cause. It's arguably worth the loss of a few lacrosse games.

Iroquois passports are improper?

As for Bear's comments, most countries have deemed the Iroquois passports "proper" for the last 30 years. The team obviously thought the US and Britain would accept them this time too.

What's proper is a matter of custom, precedence, and morality, among other things. It's a matter of the spirit, not the letter, of the law. We probably could identify thousands of laws that people violate because they're arbitrary or unfair, even if they're technically "proper."

Besides, the US has to "follow all laws" too. And treaties, including those with Indian tribes, are the "supreme law of the land." I don't know if there's a treaty that covers Haudenosaunee travel, but one is easy to imagine. Any treaty that declares the US will respect Haudenosaunee culture or customs implicitly grants them the right to travel without US passports.

In a just world, we'd treat such a treaty as the gospel. It would supersede Homeland Security regulations because, again, it's the supreme law of the land.

For more on the subject, see Developing Tribal Passports and Iroquois Team Fights for Sovereignty.

Developing tribal passports

I believe tribes have been discussing the development of tribal passports with Homeland Security for years. The Iroquois lacrosse team's story gives us a glimpse of the issue:

Iroquois passport dispute raises sovereignty issue

By Felicia FonsecaSome Montana and Wyoming tribes have discussed issuing passports, but none has taken that step, said Gordon Belcourt, executive director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council.

"If you're acknowledged as a government-to-government entity, there should be an opportunity for them to issue their own passports and visas," Belcourt said.

Previously, tribal members who lived near the country's northern border faced no problems when traveling between Canada and the U.S., he said. Now, tribal members, along with other travelers seeking to cross the country's borders, must adhere to stricter security guidelines.

"With 9/11, everything changed," Belcourt said.

In recent months, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been working with tribes to develop tribal ID cards with enhanced security features. Those would be good for arrivals in the U.S. only by land or sea but couldn't be used in lieu of a federal passport. Twenty-five tribes already have or are working toward formal agreements.

Robert Holden, deputy director at the National Congress of American Indians, said the Washington, D.C.-based group is hopeful the use of secured cards could be expanded to allow tribal members to travel abroad.

"It would have all the secure attributes that a passport would have, certainly a record of membership of that respective nation," Holden said. "So why would it not be accepted beyond the borders of the United States and accepted internationally?"Comment:  Yeah, 9/11 changed everything. It gave the US government a great excuse to invent laws to further control and limit people's freedom.

I thought the 9/11 hijackers enter the country with valid passports, visas, or whatever. So we're cracking down on Indians with a law that wouldn't have prevented 9/11 if it had been in place then? Nice.

Too bad the hypocritical Tea Parties are protesting government spending programs for minorities and not actual limitations on our freedom. You know, like the Patriot Act? Warrantless wiretapping? US citizens imprisoned without trials? Feds monitoring phone calls and e-mails? Body scanners at airports? Travel restrictions such as those affecting the Iroquois? If a single teabagger has ever raised one of these issues, I must've missed it.

For more on the subject, see Iroquois Team Bows Out of Tournament and Iroquois Team Fights for Sovereignty.

Iroquois team bows out of tournament

Iroquois Defeated by Passport Dispute

By Thomas KaplanThe 23 players on the Iroquois national lacrosse team expected to spend this week vying for a world championship.

Instead, they spent Friday night divvying up their gear in the driveway outside a Hilton hotel here, having officially declared defeat in their weeklong dispute with the British government over whether they should be allowed to travel using their tribal passports.

“I felt it was coming, but I didn’t want to believe it until I actually heard it,” said Ron Cogan, 31, who played defense for the team.

The team, known as the Nationals, forfeited its first game Thursday night against England. Unless the team departed for the tournament by Friday evening, it would have had no choice but to forfeit its next game, scheduled for Saturday afternoon against Japan.

“You can’t go into a world competition and ask a team to tie one hand behind its back,” said Chief Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois Confederacy.What the fight was about, again:That broader issue of the validity of tribal passports—which experts in American Indian law say have been allowed for international travel for several decades, even if the letter of the law forbids them to be used as replacements for United States passports—remains unresolved.

The National Congress of American Indians wrote to British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday to urge him to allow the Iroquois to travel. Jefferson Keel, the lieutenant governor of the Chickasaw Nation and the National Congress’s president, said in a telephone interview that the fight over the passports was indicative of skepticism in some parts of the world about the sovereignty of Indian nations.And:“We fought a battle that was bigger than lacrosse,” said Marty Ward, a 25-year-old goalie. “It brought indigenous people back to the forefront. It let everyone know that we’re still here—we haven’t gone anywhere.”Comment:   How about if we forbid any British citizens from entering the US until they prove they've upheld all their Haudenosaunee treaties? That'll teach 'em.

I get a sense that Indian country will be treating these lacrosse players as heroes. That's some compensation for missing the tournament.

For more on the subject, see Iroquois Team Fights for Sovereignty and Iroquois Team Forfeits First Game.